Girls lacrosse: Familiar faces return for playoffs

Wednesday

May 22, 2013 at 5:22 PM

If the R.I. Interscholastic League Girls Lacrosse playoffs seem to have a familiar feel, it’s more than just a coincidence. Among the eight teams that have qualified for the Division I tournament are...

By CAROLYN THORNTON

If the R.I. Interscholastic League Girls Lacrosse playoffs seem to have a familiar feel, it’s more than just a coincidence. Among the eight teams that have qualified for the Division I tournament are all of last year’s state semifinalists.

“I think it’s going to be a competitive postseason,” said Moses Brown coach Jeanne Carhart, whose Quakers defeated Barrington, 14-10, for the 2012 state crown and have earned the second seed this year after finishing second in I-North to Barrington with a 10-3 record. “The games throughout the season were pretty close, and the lopsided scores weren’t as common as maybe they had been in past years. There were some overtime games. There were a lot of one-goal games. I always look at the playoffs as a new season, and I think anything can happen in any of those games.”

Barrington enters the tourney as the top seed after going undefeated during the regular season and capturing the I-North crown. As exciting as that was, the Eagles say they have put all that they accomplished over the past two months behind them.

“It was wonderful. We were excited for that moment that we were 13-0, but now it goes back to 0-0,” said Barrington’s first-year coach Kathryn Tajima. “It’s a fresh start. It’s a new start to the playoffs. You have to come in with the right mindset, rested, prepared, and we’re working really hard.”

Captained by seniors Kelly Dolan and Laina Caesar, the Eagles gave up the fewest goals in the league with 64 and were second only to Barrington in goals for with 196.

“They have been very positive so far,” said Tajima, whose squad will host No. 8 Prout in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 4 p.m. “The focus is on. They’re driven, really excited. They’re coming up with a lot of great ideas going into the playoffs, which makes me excited to know that they’re really ready to bring 110 percent.”

Although Moses Brown goes into the playoffs with the proverbial target on its back by virtue of being the defending champs, the Quakers have had to deal with that added pressure all season, said Carhart.

“So I don’t think that that’s going to change just because we’re in the playoffs now,” she said. “I think people have wanted to knock us off all season.

“The message has just been to play Moses Brown lacrosse and to focus on what we can control and what we do well,” Carhart continued. “The unique thing about this year is that we faced a lot of adversity with various injuries, and they have responded really well. Every single person who’s played, they’ve been in new positions, they’ve been in different roles. Some people who didn’t play a lot in the beginning of the year are now contributing major minutes, and they’ve done a phenomenal job in anything that we’ve asked them to do.”

The Quakers, who are captained by seniors Julia Soscia and Lucy Green and have been led in scoring by sophomores Lexee Pinsky and Meghan Buonanno (out for the playoffs with a knee injury), will take on No. 7 seed Cumberland on Thursday at 4 p.m.

La Salle, which finished third in I-North behind Barrington and Moses Brown and earned the third seed with a 9-4 mark, will host No. 6 seed and I-South runner-up North Kingstown on Thursday at 6 p.m.

East Greenwich, the I-South champs with a 9-4 record and the fourth seed, will host fifth-seeded Bay View on Thursday at 5 p.m.

The winners of Thursday’s games will advance to the Division I semifinals, which will be held Wednesday at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. at Brown University’s Stevenson Field.

Division II

After contemplating joining the RIIL for a few years, Lincoln School made its debut in the league this season, and the Lynx have certainly made their presence known. Unbeaten in II-Central with a 13-0 record, Lincoln School has earned the top seed in the Division II tourney and will open the playoffs by hosting No. 8 seed Warwick Vets in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 4 p.m. at Faxon Farm in Rehoboth, Mass.

Leading all of Division II both in goals for (220) and goals against (84), the Lynx boast seven talented seniors, including tri-captains Elizabeth DiSandro, Maggie McNamara and Hannah Spalding. They have also been getting significant contributions from a number of underclassmen, including junior Larson Bennett, the top scorer in the league with 77 goals and 52 assists.

“It’s a good mix of kids,” said Lincoln School coach Martha Bennett, who is also Larson’s mother. “They’ve gotten along really well. They’re really supportive of each other. They were excited to go into the interscholastic league, and they have not let up. They were up for every game and wanted to do well in the interscholastic league. It’s been exciting for them and for us to watch them grow.”

Portsmouth, the II-East champion with an 11-2 record, has earned the second seed and will host seventh-seeded Mt. Hope on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Also qualifying for the Division II tourney are II-Central runner-up Cranston East (3), Tiverton (4) and Middletown (5), who finished tied for second in II-East at 8-5, and Classical (6).

Division III

Narragansett’s seniors endured a winless season as freshmen. Four years later, they are enjoying an undefeated season. The Mariners captured the III-South title with an 11-0 record and have earned the top seed in the Division III tourney and will host No. 8 North Providence in quarterfinal action Thursday at 4 p.m.

Meanwhile, Mount St. Charles, which won just one game four years ago, has earned the No. 2 seed after winning the III-North title with an 8-3 mark. The Mounties will open against Burrillville/North Smithfield co-op Friday at 3:30 p.m.

The remaining seeds in the Division III tourney include Pilgrim (3) and Chariho (4), which finished tied for second in III-South at 8-3, III-North runner-up Smithfield (5) and Scituate (6).